The Dangers of Distracted Driving

The Dangers of Distracted Driving

By: Elijah Omotosho

As a driver on the road, you are statistically risking your life every single time you get behind the wheel. An average of 34,000 people die each year in America because of driving. But why do these many people lose their lives due to something so normal and essential in today’s society by just simply driving a car? The answer to that question is distractions. Distractions have always been the leading cause of road accidents, but for the drivers of today it’s an even bigger problem because of handheld electronic devices such as smartphones.

Driver education is extremely important and effective when it comes to reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. Driver education not only teaches you the knowledge and skills to become a safe driver, but also the importance of not being distracted while driving. I recently completed driver’s education successfully last August, and one of the biggest topics that we went over was distractions and the importance of safe driving. Driver’s ed informed me about how being distracted on your phone for only 6 seconds and sending just one text message can result in a fatal car accident.

Some steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are turning off smartphones while driving and reducing the amount of other distractions while driving such as eating, personal grooming, and talking to loud and distracting passengers in the car. Drivers who text behind the wheel are 23 times more likely to get in an automobile crash according to the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Just like texting, grooming requires you to take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road which can also result in an accident. Talking to passengers can be just as dangerous as texting and driving because it forces you to take your focus off of driving. According to federal data, more than half of distracted driving accidents occurred in 2016 because of conversations with passengers.

I have luckily never been in a car accident before, but I have seen my friends driving irresponsibly. My friends like to race like most people my age, but I know that this is dangerous because racing requires you to speed and I know that speeding kills. Speeding above the posted speed limit is not only illegal, but it also makes the road and other drivers and passengers around you unsafe. Speeding decreases your reaction time. This makes it extremely difficult to avoid avoidable accidents and collisions.

As a new driver on the road, some steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver for not only myself, but for other drivers around me is continuing to turn off my phone, limit all other distractions, and gain more driving experience on the road. Right now I am currently booking driving lessons with my driving instructor from my driver education school. All last summer Ive been going out to drive with my father to gain experience behind the wheel. I feel as though experience is one of the most important things a driver should have when it comes to driving because you need to know what to do in certain situations such as driving in the snow or rain. With my experience and safe driving discipline, I can confidently say that I am a safe driver and pose no threat to the safety of other drivers on the road.